


Out of Order

by uforock



Category: Final Space (Cartoon)
Genre: Adoption, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Season 2 spoilers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-09-27 18:36:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20412448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uforock/pseuds/uforock
Summary: It's not that Gary's been keeping this from Avocato, he's just not brought it up, not talked about it in passing, refused to acknowledge it, and been completely and utterly terrified to ever bring it up, ever, in a million years.





	Out of Order

**Author's Note:**

> That right there is the new episode. Now let's talk about the new episode. Can we talk about the new episode, please, Olan? I've been dying to talk about the new episode with you all day, OK? "Garycato moments," this theme keeps coming up over and over again. Every episode you keep giving me these moments. CARD GAME ANALOGIES! ADOPTIONS! SACRIFICES! I look in the new episodes, and this whole SHOW is garycato moments! So I say to myself, "I gotta find proof! I gotta go up to the writing staff and get them to give me the goddamn scripts! Otherwise, we’re never going to get it and I’m going to keep coming back down here." So I decide, "Oh shit, buddy, I gotta dig a little deeper." There's no garycato in canon? You gotta be kidding me! I got boxes full of garycato! All right. So I start marchin' my way down to David Sacks’s office and I knock on his door and I say, "DAVID! DAVID! I gotta talk to you about garycato." And when I open the door what do I find? A goddamned mirror sitting where a desk should be. Olan, half the employees in this building have been made up. I’m LITERALLY the entire writing staff.

The first time it happened, Avocato thought it was a crazy random happenstance, or an accident, or something.

Gary was milling about the kitchen, an apron tied around his shoulders as he flipped pancakes. Quinn and Nightfall both sat drinking coffee in the next room over, the rest of the ship's crew wandering about and adjusting to a life free from anything that threatened it. 

(Mostly.)

Little Cato had a book out, reading through it, making notes and doodling in the margins of the pages. He spoke without looking up, “Hey, dad, can you bring me a plate when you’re done?”

Avocato’s ears perked up at that, but-

Instead, Gary lit up like a supernova, tapping his fingers against the counter in excitement. “Yeah, no- no problemo, kiddo!”

Avocato simply shrugged and took a drink of his milk, not thinking much of it.

-

The second time it happened, it was in passing, and Avocato thought it might have been an accident. A simple  _ thanks, dad _ tossed ambiguously out as Gary passed something to Little Cato, like it was the easiest and most natural thing in the world. 

Gary’s eyes still widened and he grinned, nodding in response, happier than anything.

-

The  _ third  _ time it happened, Avocato realized it was a pattern.

Gary, Avocato, Little Cato, Quinn, and Ash were laying around the floor of Gary’s room, eating chocolate covered trail mix and mini cheese cracker packets, Gary and Avocato leaning towards each other (maybe a little too closely) and placing cards down one by one in rapid succession.

They were playing slapjack, and they were the only two people still in the game.

“C’mon Gary, you can do this!”

“Show him those catlike reflexes!”

“Give him all you’ve got, dad!”

And all at once, Gary got distracted, letting a Jack slip past him, Avocato landing his hand on it first, mere fractions of a second after Gary, their hands squishing against each other.

Their audience cheered, Little Cato laughing and clapping along with the rest of them. Avocato wasn’t sure who he was rooting for, which…

He looked up at Gary, whos hand was still on top of his own, resting there. He was looking at Avocato, but he had this dazed look on his face, like something important happened that he had missed. Like he was lost in thought.

“Hey.”

Gary seemed to snap back to himself, turning to face Avocato fully. “Hm?”

“You’re kinda holding my winnings hostage there, man.”

Gary blinked, glancing quickly down at their overlapping hands before wrenching his own back, scratching the back of his neck nervously, cheeks turning red. “Aha, uh, whoops! You won, fair and square. Take the- I’m gonna go get more snacks, real fast!”

And Gary got up and left.

Little Cato started dealing more cards.

“I’m… gonna go check on him.”

“Alright, does that mean I can teach Ash and Quinn how to play salute the king?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“Thanks, dad! Alright, so…”

Avocato followed Gary silently down the hallway, seeing him turn the corner and staying just out of his vision.

Gary had this look on his face, tapping his cheekbones, pressing his cheeks together.Mooncake hovered over him, as he tended to do, bumping into him like a moth against a lamp. 

“Yeah, I know Mooncake, but… it’s kind of a hard topic to just. Casually bring up, Hey, welcome back, I adopted your kid while you were trapped in an evil alternate dimension and I might be a little in- Avocato! Hi! I did- I didn’t see you there!”

Gary looked like he was absolutely  _ terrified, _ wringing his hands and popping the joints of his flesh hand the ay Avocato knew he only did when he was really scared. 

“You did  _ what _ ?”

“Um,” Gary backed up. “Please don’t be mad? I-”

“Did… did you not think I was coming back? Did you just accidentally save me, or what?”

Gary’s panic seemed to tenfold. “No! God, no, this is exactly why I wasn’t gonna-”

“So, what, you were just not gonna tell me you  _ adopted my kid _ ? What the hell were you thinking?!”

“I couldn’t just stand by and watch the kid go through the same  _ bullshit  _ I did, okay?!”

Avocato was silent He just stood there, staring, Giving Gary room to speak.

“I,” Gary continued, “I know, in hindsight, I could have thought it out more, but really, you wanna know what I was thinking?”

“ _ Yes _ .”

Gary swallowed, more anxiety pouring in at the severity in Avocato’s tone. “I… I was thinking that I wanted to give him the chance I never got. To have two happy,  _ alive  _ parents who love him and lo-... care very much about each other. That  _ when _ , not if,  _ when _ we rescued you, you might want backup. A partner. To know someone else is really in it for the long haul. I’m not trying to replace you, or upstage you, or take your son away. This isn’t- it isn’t a competition!”

Gary let himself walk over to Avocato, whos glare had begun to soften with each word that passed Gary’s lips.

“I… Thought we could be, like, a family. Y’know? I… You- I wanted… That. With him, and… with you,” he seemed to deflate, scratching his arm, swaying back and forth to comfort himself.

Avocato stared at him a few moments longer before letting out a slow, exhausted sigh. “I’m sorry for getting angry. I-... I didn’t know you felt that way.”

“Yeah, I do. With him, it was ever… since we first rescued him. Before we got you back, it was… it wasn’t easy. I…” Gary leaned against a wall, sliding down, refusing to look at Avocato. “I mourned for you, man. I saw you  _ die, Avocato _ . We  _ both  _ did. And… It felt like I was the only person who knew what that felt like. And I needed him to know he wasn’t alone. He’s family to me, and regardless of how you feel about that, you’re still my partner. We have each other’s backs. Well… I know I’ll always have yours.”

Gary finally allowed himself to look up, eyes shiny with tears that refused to fall. Avocato was looking at him with his eyes half-lidded, a look far too sad for words on his face.

“And… for me?”

“What now?”

“When did you… y’know…?” 

Avocato’s voice was much too small for his body, in that moment.

There was a beat of silence.

Gary looked at his robot arm, opening and closing the hand, tracing his fingers across the metal.

“Since we clasped, man, you know that. I promised I’d always be by your side, through thick, and thin, and thinner, and  _ nothing _ , didn’t I?”

“Geez,” Avocato scratched the back of his neck, looking away. “You make it sound like a marriage proposal.”

Gary barked out a laugh. “Please, I’d be  _ way _ more romantic than that if I were proposing to you. Or-” Gary caught himself, coughing, wringing his hands again. “Uh. What I meant to say was, if I were… proposing. Just in general.”

Avocato dropped into a crouch, one smooth motion. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Gary breathed, fully aware of the burning of his cheeks. “I’m a  _ master _ of romance, buddy, trust me.”

“Mmm. Yeah? Well, go ahead. Wow me, thunder bandit.”

Gary all but short circuited. “I- uh- um- my- my a-apologies?”

And Avocato laughed, because it was cute. “I mean… Unless I’m reading this whole thing wrong, Normally when two people raise a kid together it’s…”

Gary’s whole face was red, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish, and Avocato frowned in worry.

“Is that a no?”

“ _ No! _ ” Gary replied all too quickly, waving his hands in front of his chest. “It’s not a no, it’s- are you- you..? With me? Like,  _ me _ me? Like this isn’t a joke, you- you’re flirting with me right now? This is you coming onto me?”

Avocato sat down fully, leaning up against the wall with him, letting his head rest on Gary’s shoulder. “I’ve been flirting with you for a  _ long _ time, now, man, try to keep up.”

Gary coughed again. “W- You-  _ huh _ ? _ ” _

Avocato couldn’t help but laugh. “Cat got your tongue?”

Gary seemed to snap back a little bit, grinning and shoving him a little. “You- god. I’m an idiot.”

“Yeah, you are.”

“I could have done this a lot better.”

“Yeah, you could have.”

“I could use some words of encouragement here, Avocato.”

“Yeah,” Avocato leaned up and kissed his cheek. “You could.

Gary covered his face, unable to stop smiling. “I just- you… Me? Are you  _ sure? _ ”

“Partners for life, right?”

Avocato held out a hand and Gary stared at it, starry eyed, before taking it and pulling it close, kissing Avocato’s knuckles. “For life. I’ve got your back.”

Avocato smiled up at him, almost nervous, but he was far too cool to be nervous, of course. “Gary?”

“Yeah?”

“Y’know, most couples at least kiss properly before they agree to raise a kid together.”

Gary smiled, and Avocato was sure he had never seen more love in someone's eyes in his entire life. 

“Well, make that another thing we’re doing backwards,” and Gary pulled him close, pressing kiss after kiss after kiss to his face, Avocato smiling too hard to kiss back properly. 

"Ugh," Little Cato said, walking past with a fistful of trash. "You two are gross. Get a room, or something."

Avocato laughed again, and god, was it a sweet sound. "Hey, show your father some respect."

Little Cato just stuck out his tongue and kept walking while Gary cuddled closer to his _partner_.

**Author's Note:**

> please comment if you want more, i have class in 4 hours and i didnt fucking sleep to provide you all with this nice nice content.


End file.
